Improvement in mats



tzend A @dat PETER .W. NEEFUS, NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 111,559. dated February 7, 1871.

IM PROVEMENT lN MATS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of tlfewnae.

Y Be it known' that I, PETER W. NEEFUS, of the city of New York 'and State of New Yorkfhave invented a new and improved Mat; andI do hereby'declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact'description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing making a part of this speeltication. p

This invention relates to that kind of mat in which strips of rubber or other similar elastic material are secured in a plate in such manner4 that the edges of the strips project above the plate and form elastic ribs or projections, upon which the feet may be cleaned...

` The invention described herein refers to a method of securing the elastic projections, and consists in bending up the edges of a strip of`rubher and inserting such edges from beneath, through slots in a plate. This plate, wbenlaid upon the floor, holds the strip inplace, and the edges` ot' the strip protrude above the plate to a suicient height to form elastic cleaning-surfaces. Y

Figure 1- represents a plan view of one of my improved mats secured 'to a piece, A, which may represent a portion ot' a wood, metal, or stone step or floor.

Figure?. is a central vertical cross-section of. the

same.

The body of thc mat consists of a plate, B, made of any suitable material, but preferably of metal.

This plateBis providedwith a number of slots, and around thebottoinof each of the alternate bars, sep arating two of such slots,is bent a sheet of rubber, I), the edges of which pass through the slots and protrude above the upper surface of the plate, forming two elastie ribs or projections, a a, upon which the feet may be cleaned.

The bottom of the plate l5, underneath the bars which separate the slots, may bc recessed, as shown,

thus reducing the thickness of the bars but this reccss should be of slightly less depth than the thickness of the elastic strips D, so that the latter will be slightly compressed, and thereby held in place by the weight of the mat.

In some cases I make each of the alternate bars C in a separate piece, andseeure the ends ot the 'same in any suitable manner inthe plate B.

As shown in the drawing, the ends of the bars C are thiuned, and secured by means ot'serews in grooves formed in the upper surface of plate '13.

l'lhe slot-s in plate B may be cored out or out in a solid plate with a milling-tool or equivalent device.

The projections u. a may be of any desired height or thickness.

I prefer that the strips I) be from one-sixteenth to one-eighth of au inch thick, and that the edges (t (t project above the plate a distance equal to from three to tour times the thickness ot the strip.

'Ihc weight of ,the mat will, in inauy cases, be sufficient to keep it in place when in use; but to prevent it from being shifted or stolen, screws may be put through any part of the body I5 into the floor or step, or into nuts let into the stone steps or door-sills. A chain may also be readily secured to the mat.

. 'lhe strips D may be made ot' any suitable elastic substance, such,for instance, as vulcanized India rubber, or either 'ot' the various compounds ot' that or other gums.

lVitnesses:

GHAs E. EMERY, i. B. Bnnoilnn. 

